Filming at University College London

Filming at University College London is a frequent occurrence. The university is used as a location for film and television recording because of its position within London and the historical nature of the UCL Main Building and quad. A list of films and TV appearances includes:

Film

• Doctor in the House (1954) uses the Portico as the entrance to "St Swithin's Hospital"
• The 39 Steps (1959) uses the Front Quad and Wilkins Building as the "St John's Wood Hospital".
• Raising the Wind (1961) uses the Front Quad and Portico as the exterior of the "London Academy of Music and the Arts" ("LAMA").
• The Lost Language of the Cranes (1991) featured a fictional member of the staff at UCL and a few scenes were filmed in UCL.
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999) uses the UCL GP practice as the clinic for Tom Cruise's character.
• Gladiator (2000) used the Front Quad as one of its models for ancient Rome.
• The Mummy Returns (2001) uses parts of UCL (mainly the Front Quad) to masquerade as the British Museum^[1]
• Thunderbirds (2004) used the Front Quad and Wilkins Building as the "Bank of London", sited on the north side of Trafalgar Square looking down Whitehall. In reality this site is occupied by the National Gallery, also designed by William Wilkins.
• Batman Begins (2005) features the DMS Watson library as "Gotham Print Room" and the exterior of the Medawar building as part of the police department headquarters; this film also uses the National Institute for Medical Research (as Arkham Asylum), and the cloisters of Senate House. The Thomas Lewis room in UCL, in the Rockefeller Building, was the setting for the courtroom scene.^[2]
• Starter for 10 (2006) used the Front Quad, Gustav Tuck lecture theatre, parts of the history library and other areas of campus to masquerade as Bristol University.
• Atonement (2007) uses the Physics Yard for shots of the casualty clearing area.
• Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007 Bollywood film): the stairs up to the portico are used for the title song.
• The Dark Knight (2008): some scenes were filmed in and around UCL.
• Inception (2010): scenes were shot in the Front Quad, a lecture theatre and the main library.
• Desi Boyz (2011): uses the Portico steps and Front Quad.
• University of the Dead (2013): uses the Portico steps, Front Quad and other locations around campus including Jeremy Bentham's box.^[3]

TV (fiction)

• The Sooty Show filmed around UCL in episode 'Hot Air Balloon'.
• Never the Twain used main Quad as "Lord Smallbridge's House".
• Minder used Quad in episode 'Sorry Pal, Wrong Number' (Season 4, 1984)
• Agatha Christie's Poirot, 9th series, "5 Little Pigs" episode, filmed in old main library entrance and in main quad. In addition, "Four and twenty blackbirds" was filmed in the UCL Main Library's Law reading room. Also used British Museum Reading Room, and Room 34 whilst in the area. Also episode Hickory Dickory Dock was used filming of both the Cruciform Building and the main UCL Quad and exterior.
• Spooks (Series III, episode II) features the front quad and the Gustav Tuck Lecture Theatre.
• BBC Four's 2005 remake of The Quatermass Experiment used the part of Gower Street which runs past various laboratories in the scene where Carroon breaks into a Chemistry laboratory. The original 1953 version had been rehearsed at the Student Movement House on the same street.
• The opening of The Complete Guide to Parenting' (2006) uses scenes shot in UCL's Quad. Some scenes from certain episodes were also filmed here.
• Britz, a film made by Channel 4 (2007) uses many parts of UCL: the Main Library, and parts of the Cloisters are used for cadaver dissection rooms.
• Burn Up (BBC 2008) - portico and quadrangle used as the High Court of Justice
• Silent Witness uses the main Quad (carefully avoiding the Observatories), the main door, and the South and North Cloisters as well as the Octagon. And, while they were in the area, they also used the ULU and Senate House buildings/ surrounding areas.
• Law and Order: UK (ITV) - for 2011 series, use of main quad, space under portico, cloisers among other smaller parts.

TV (Non-fiction)

James May with students outside the CAVE.

• Derren Brown: The Heist, shown at 9.00p.m. on Channel 4 on Wednesday 4 January 2006, featured brief exterior shots of the main Quad and University Street. It was implied one experiment conducted was filmed inside one UCL building, although which one was not established, it was most likely to be the Cruciform Building which is located opposite the Front Quad.
• BBC News chose to film in and around UCL to provide some of the footage used to cover the news regarding nationwide strike action by university staff when the story finally hit the headlines on Saturday 13 May 2006. Ongoing news coverage of this story has used shots of UCL, for example on Channel 4 News on Tuesday 6 June 2006.
• BBC London News filmed outside the main Quad in 2006 with the reporter reading from one of the Geography Department's standard risk assessment forms for a story regarding difficulties surrounding field trips.
• James May filmed part of an episode of James May's Big Ideas around UCL and inside the CAVE in Malet Place Engineering Building in February 2008, involving the famous Karthik Parthiban in a virtual reality experiment.

Advert recordings

• Kit Kat filmed an advert featuring pop group Girls Aloud for the Kit Kat Senses bar in the evening of Tuesday 18 into the early morning of Wednesday 19 March 2008. The presence of Girls Aloud attracted much attention from the press,^[4][5] the paparazzi^[6] and bloggers^[7] and the filming was discussed on UCL's student radio station, Rare FM, by DJs presenting at the time.

DVD recordings

The Bloomsbury Theatre has been used as the venue for DVD recordings of famous stand-up comedians' tours.

• Former UCL student Ricky Gervais recorded Ricky Gervais Live: Animals for DVD in the Bloomsbury Theatre in 2003.^[8]
• Jimmy Carr recorded Jimmy Carr: Live in 2004,^[9] Jimmy Carr: Stand Up in 2005 ^[10] and Jimmy Carr: Comedian in 2007 ^[11] for DVD in the Bloomsbury Theatre.
• Harry Hill's recorded Harry Hill in Hooves for DVD in the Bloomsbury Theatre in 2005.^[12]
• Lee Mack recorded Lee Mack: Live for DVD in the Bloomsbury Theatre in 2006.^[13]
• Caroline Reid played Pam Ann in a DVD recording of her show Come Fly With Me performed in the Bloomsbury Theatre in September 2007.^[14]

Additionally, musicians The Zombies recorded The Zombies Live At The Bloomsbury Theatre, London for CD and DVD in the Bloomsbury Theatre in 2006.^[15]

Student media

UCL Union's societies, including the UCLU Film & TV Society and the UCLU Drama Society, often film in and around UCL.

References